Friday, December 31, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This blog was created by Johanna Pedranti. She is an aromatherapist passionate about sharing her knowledge. Her goal is to help people find their way to optimal health without going broke. This blog is about natural health, aromatherapy, nutrition and fitness. It also has tips on making soaps and your own natural health products.

MY REVIEW: This blog covers a variety of health topics - using "essential oils" in a variety of ways to promote health and beauty. The posts vary on such topics as essential oils for children, homespa, health building, making your own, and so on.

If you've got sensitive skin, or just want to get away from makeup and materials full of chemicals, give this blog a try.

Sample postEssential Oils for Skin Care - Sensitive Skin

We all have the potential of having sensitive skin, and our skin may become sensitive to certain substances or sensitive in certain circumstances like stress. As we age the sensitivity may increase as well.

Avoid hard water, alcohol in skin toners, harsh alkaline cleaners or soaps, highly perfumed products and skin abrasives. Simplicity and pure ingredients are important in a skin care regimen for sensitive skin. Mild toners, gentle cleansers and delicate moisturizer are the key. Use simple floral water like chamomile or orange blossom as a toner. You can also make your own infused herbal toner.

It is also important that great care is taken when selecting the essential oils. Oils with anti-inflammatory properties like yarrow, lavender, neroli, German chamomile, and everlasting/helichrysum should be used for sensitive skin according to Battaglia.

Evening primrose, jojoba, apricot kernel and infused calendula oils are base oils that traditionally been used for sensitive skin.

Make your own ointments, creams, facial gels, and toners using the essential oils and base oils mentioned above.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Product reviews and practical tips for living a more natural life.

MY REVIEW: When these folks say “Natural” they mean "natural" – all things natural. This is a fascinating blog – not about “going green” but “living green”. It delves into every aspect from the amount of energy used by an LED TV vs. LCD to a discussion of the ingredients in cereal to the City of Houston’s partnering with Reliant energy to promote the use of electric cars.

Really Natural stays on task. It is chocked full of relevant information that is provided in a clean (how else would you expect it) format. And, for someone who is not green (and feels slightly guilty – I use reusable shopping bags at the grocery store and am SO PROUD of myself) and lives comfortably in the middle of the grid, I can read this without fear of lecture or that I will leave the blog carrying the blame of all the world’s woes on my back. And, I can assure you, I will learn from it. Updated daily

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The day-to-day life of Ciall Kennett from Milton Keynes, England. Each day, he publishes his highlights, lowlights, reviews and opinions. A massive film fan, he regularly posts film reviews and experiences, as well as his regular trips to theme parks. A great way to read into the diary of a stranger...with consent!

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog, 17 years old (at the time of this writign) is located in Milton Keynes, England. His posts cover a wide variety of subjects, not the least of which is life in England which those of us in the States who are Anglophiles will find interesting. He's a good writer, has an interesting take on life for one his age, so I highly recommend it.

Sample post:

Monday, 27 December 2010Monday 27th December IS Boxing Day I made a purchase last night, which probably sounds like a bad idea: I got a Kindle. Yup - £109 and it reads books...and I hardy read books :P BUT, it is quite awesome, and I want to read more, and I have been considering getting it for ages, but after I decided to leave Coasterforce for a while (reasons which will be explained if you ask for them to be), I decided to treat myself :) It should arrive by Friday...I hope :)

I've already got about 100 books to put on it xD

I didn't get much sleep last night, once again. I was up quite late talking to Samantha - with her being stuck in her house, and me not having much of a life, we seem to be spending ages a day chatting :P

I eventually dropped off to sleep about 4.30am this morning, and awoke about 1pm.

Decided it was a good day to go to THE BOXING DAY SALES.

Yes - I just said Boxing Day is today when it's the 27th. Boxing Day was today on a technicality, as Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas Day, so today rather than the conventional 26th December.

I walked up the city to hopefully pick up some new jeans and hopefully get a new pair of trainers. After battling through the slow people and having a random guy shout at me "Ciall, you're a faggot!", I headed to Specsavers with my spare pair of glasses and got them adjusted - finally I can wear them :P

Then walked to Next to try and get some shoes and/or jeans...there was literally nothing nice in their "sale", so I left.

Headed to depression central - Poundland - and picked up 7-Up and Pepsi cans as I was thirsty. Walked around trying to find places which do shoes at size 13 (literally nowhere does ¬¬), and went to Madhouse and picked up 2 pairs of jeans. Annoyingly, as I'm a very small waist, but a 34/36 leg, I struggle to find jeans that fit me...especially when they have waist sizes in "small" "regular" and "large" ¬¬ Nonetheless, I think I have 2 pairs which somewhat fit me, and for £6 each, a bargain in my opinion.

Walked over to Subway and as I had a voucher for a free 6" sub when I buy a 6" and medium drink, I picked up a Subway Melt and Club and the guy only charged me for the one sub and not the drink - noice!

Walked partially back, before Jo offered to pick me up from Oldbrook :) Got back, been on netbook talking to Samantha and trying to find size 13 shoes in a nice style and reasonably price...

Will begin writing my 2010 sum up/2011 introduction post for New Years Eve now :)

I've been doing a little research, and I think I have come across a theory/status that best reflects me. I am a Average Frustrated Chump, or AFC for short. I'd be described as "a stereotypical nice guy who has no pickup skills or understanding of what attracts women; a man who tends to engage in supplicative and wimpy patterns of behaviour around women" - I think that's me in a nutshell. I don't mind, that's who I am, but at least now I know what to call myself :P

Also, it's an NLP-linked thing, which makes me happy as I wuv NLP :)

RECENT POSTS:--Monday 27th December IS Boxing Day --Christmas 2010 - Getting pished --Netbook broken = a week of no blog :( --6-9 inches. Impressive ;) --I didn't go to work today... --According to chavs... --Boredom leads to sleeping in school... --I'm stuck in a triangle, and I'm the top corner. --4 VERY exciting days in two VERY exciting posts! (... --4 VERY exciting days in two VERY exciting posts! (... --I keep dancing on my own... --Snow pictures :) --BEST SHIFT AT WORK EVER! --Pendulum + Hadouken! - NIA PTR --Days are blurred, time is sparse...

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Daily recipes, cooking and wine news from around the web. We find the latest stuff for you.

MY REVIEW: I was not overly impressed with this blog..the posts have no humor or entertainment value in them -- and even cooks like to be entertained. The recipes are OK, but not written/described in an entertaining manner.

Truth to tell...the recipe entries seem to come from a database that feeds into several recipe blogs...nothing very original here. Nevertheless, check it out for yourself.

MY REVIEW: This is an exhaustive blog of posts that tend to be right leaning. I don't have a dog in this fight and take no sides here. Mr. Graham regularly gives itunes links of the day relating to his posts. He takes on today's topics of health care, the environment, pro-abortion rights groups, and although his posts are his thoughts and tend to be one sided, they are well written, well thought out and give good argument to his stand.

The author uses his blog as his soapbox. But that is what blogs are for. You may not share his beliefs, and if you don't, "Move along, there's nothing to see here." If you do, you may find a home.

RECENT ARTICLES:- Eight reasons conservatives should back J.D. Hayworth over John McCain- Seth Walker: The man who amended the constitution by accident- Cheers and boos: If you love liberty . . .- We have ways of making you behave responsibly

MY REVIEW: This is an informative blog well written about the goings on in this neighborhood in DC. The writer does a good job capturing the essence of the area. You feel like you are walking down the street or on the bus with him as he comments about the change of the name of long time business or gives you the information about a new yoga program.

The author is thorough and goes beyond just commentary, he adds details including the location, dates, times, links - all the local information you need to participate in the goings on. You learn that the local library is being temporarily relocated, where and why. A lot of work goes into keeping this current and getting these details and adding humor to it. A great blog, the area should be appreciative that someone cares. He posts almost every day.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I've been described as a cross between Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck. I wish it was neither. Dave Barry has hairy legs and Erma Bombeck is dead.

MY REVIEW: This is an interesting blog. There is a post where the blogger shows a picture (in this instance it was the inside of a toaster) gives the readers a hint and asks readers to guess what the item is. The other entries ramble from entertaining stories about domestic life that do not seem to have any continuity, a story the blogger worked on in workshop, and other musings. There are plenty of pictures to illustrate her points and stories. She is dealing with everyday issues most of us can relate to and is not wrapped up in herself. I think the key here is reading the blog consistantly to get to know the blogger and her world.

Sample post:

Tribal Blogs: The Crap-Free Zone of BloggingBlogging April 1st, 2010 I’d like to introduce you to a great new blogger’s network called Tribal Blogs, started by Jen of Redhead Rantings.

Jen wanted to start a new network for “writers whose outstanding blogs set them apart from the rest of the pack.” I joined a few weeks ago and I’m loving it already.

What you’ll find is a posse of awesome bloggers who take blogging seriously. They’re willing to lend you a hand, share and promote your posts, and toss ideas around that can be of use to everyone.

The network also has plenty of groups to join, even one just for men (Jen can’t even get in to see what they’re talking about, but she figures there’s a lot of belching and farting going on).

What you won’t find at Tribal Blogs are the crap blogs. You know exactly the kind of blogs I’m talking about. You probably visit them as part of other networks you belong to that require you to drop on blogs to earn credits or exposure.

Jen is careful to monitor membership and keep out blogs that aren’t updated, don’t have original material or whose authors don’t engage their readers. Here, there’s no wading through the chaff.

It’s free to join, but a premium membership is available for those who want to be listed in the Tribal Blogs toolbar. The toolbar is a great way to visit other members’ quality blogs all at once.

Come on over and check it out! You won’t be disappointed.

And thanks, Jen, for all your hard work getting Tribal Blogs off the ground. It’s an idea whose time has come.

RECENT ARTICLES:- Taking it to a whole new level of dumbassery- Let’s toast the winner- What’s that Wednesday- How Windy got in her tree

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This blog presents poems and art which reflect the many years Harry and Helen Kottler have been practicing the path of Siddha Yoga.

MY REVIEW: This is a blog that I could not help but find to have a calming effect on me. (And, I am unfamiliar with the practice of Siddha Yoga.) Each daily post has an interesting graphic or picture with a short description of the poem that follows. Some of the pictures are actually computer drawings by Harry himself. The poems are thoughtful and well written, each quietly speaking to the topic. For those unfamiliar, I did some research on the subject: Siddha Yoga is “a spiritual path of discipline, of mastering the mind and the senses with teachings and practices. . . a path imbued with grace.”

I recommend this tranquil blog, but don’t let my review lull you, it is not dull and boring. The topics are interesting and Harry’s comments let you peak into events in his life.

[A note from Ms Cairo: This is one of those blogs where it makes a lot more sense to subscribe to it via the Kindle then to try to read it on the web. I just went to the web URL and it is all cluttered and extremely difficult to find anything! The Kindle is definitely the way to go with this blog.]

RECENT ARTICLES: --When Bravery is Colored Blue--Patience--See Like an Eagle--Angels and Creatures of the Dark--The Mind's the Key to Everything

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Future Savvy Journal discusses and expands on topics of the book, Future Savvy. It brings content and method together to promote critical thinking about foresight, and how to better anticipate, manage, and improve the future.

Future Savvy, published by The American Management Association (Amacom Press, NY, 2009) is a user's guide to judging predictions. It shows forecast consumers how to discern quality in future-thinking they read and hear, with examples and case studies of interest to both business and policy decision-makers. It views expert foresight as a crucial resource, but puts sharp tools in the hands of forecast users.

MY REVIEW: This is a well-written business-oriented blog that deals with foresight and the tricky business of prediction in today's international industrial and commerce markets. The subjects are wide ranged and vary from Wal-mart to electric cars to risk assessment. The blogger brings many sources to the table.

However, it is rarely updated - I did the math and in the past 6 months, the posts have averaged one every 11 days. This is not as much a blog as it is part of the overall website for Future Savvy. So be aware of that.

Legislation is the route by which ‘the people’ (or powerful sectarian interests, take your pick,) influence the future. It is often underestimated as a future force, or viewed merely as legislators playing catch-up with technology or societal change. But legislation can be far-sighted, and profoundly shape outcomes.

In a fascinating recent development, John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, introduced the Start-up Visa Act to the US Senate, as reported in Inc. magazine.

The legislation is a forward-looking bid to turbo-charge entrepreneurial venturing in the U.S. by attracting foreign entrepreneurs and connecting them to U.S. capital, therein driving new economic growth and local jobs. What’s really interesting is it goes against past common wisdom that recessions are ‘bad for immigration’ (as citizens demand job protection.)

If passed, the bill gives U.S. visas to foreigners who can raise $100,000 from an angel investor or $250,000 from a qualified VC firm. After two years, if the immigrant entrepreneur can create five or more jobs (excluding family), attract an additional $1 million in investment, or produce $1 million in revenue, he or she gets a green card (permanent residency.)

The only current option, the EB-5 business investment visa, requires immigrants to invest at least $1 million in the U.S. and employ 10 people.

Job creationThe National Venture Capital Association says 25 percent of America’s venture-backed, publicly-traded businesses, incl. Google, Yahoo!, eBay and Intel have been founded or co-founded by immigrants. According to Richard Herman, author of Immigrant, Inc.: Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy, nearly all U.S. job creation in the past 20 years has come from companies less than five years old.

The history of US immigration policy has been schizophrenic to say the least, with periods of great social openness followed by about-face door slamming. The slamming has always corresponded to economic downturns or anxiety thereto. But here we have the opposite effect. And we have legislators taking a forward view! Both proof that the future is sure to surprise us.

RECENT ARTICLES:--The happy medium is a guide to the future for Toyota, McDonalds, and all of us--Telling words on a running controversy in risk & foresight, from Peter Bernstein--Haiti, when the present trumps the future, but possibly jolts it too--What goes around comes around, like Yule and mom-and-pop shops inside Wal-Mart

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Practical ideas for using marketing, networking, technology and social media to give small businesses a big advantage.

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog for the small business person, with lots of ideas on running your business, and plenty of "cool tools' brought to your attention. The only problem is that it is only updated once a week. On the other hand, since its only 99 cents a month to subscribe, it's still worth it. Check it out.

Sample post

Internet marketers often get tunnel vision while they brainstorm ideas to reach their customers. If I asked you how you bring high quality leads to your website, you would probably give me a full dissertation of your SEO strategy or how many of your Twitter followers retweet your content.

It’s easy to forget that we can control our Internet marketing strategy ourselves. Sometimes, we need to just take the initiative to pursue leads on our own.

It may seem easy to wait for customers to come to you, but you need to think about how much time and energy you need to spend optimizing your site in order to get organic traffic. Also, check your Google Analytics logs to see how many visitors leave your site because they are not interested in your content. From this perspective, it may make more sense to pursue leads on your own that are most likely to convert.

In order to pursue direct leads, you need to build a list of target customers. List building is not a difficult process, but you don’t want to waste time following useless leads.

If you are going to market your services to anyone in the world, you should always begin by asking yourself what they want. You can’t start building a list of potential customers until you’ve identified which ones are going to need your product.

Analyzing their company and industry is necessary while you are developing leads. It is also helpful because it helps you understand how they are going to respond to your marketing efforts. You can tailor your messages to each recipient so that they will have a better sense of what you are offering and how it will benefit their business.

Once someone has arrived at your website through a direct communication, you need to get them to convert the same way you would with any other customer. When you are contacting your prospects, you need to make sure that you give them a link to a contact page where they can easily contact you or sign up for your program. Keep your contact pages and squeeze pages simple and minimize distractions. Loud messages and annoying graphics are just as likely to annoy your prospects as anyone else. Worse, they may be angry that you wasted their time contacting them.

Direct marketing can actually be less work than optimizing your website. Just think from the mind of your target customers and always show that you are trying to put their needs before your own.

RECENT POSTS:--Why coupons work for small businesses--COol TOol: PrintWhatYouLike.com--How to Scratch the Seven-year Itch--WHy Skepticism and Predictions Should go Hand in Hand--Cool Tool: Boomerang

Thursday, December 16, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Want to learn the right way to cook an egg? Frustrated by fennel? “How to Boil an Egg” is a tasty mix of food know-how and how-to written by personal chef and food writer Danielle Turner. Danielle shares her knowledge as a chef and cooking instructor to teach basic cooking techniques along with tips on entertaining with ease and simple and delicious recipes.

MY REVIEW: This is a great blog about how to do the basic things no cook books ever tell you because they assume you know like: how to whip cream, choose the best wax paper, know what the temperature of your oven is, make your own buttermilk. I fancy myself as an accomplished cook and I was fascinated by the blog. It is well written, basically well done.

The blog is updated once a week. (It went from being a daily blog until Christmas '09, then it skipped a month, then posts 3 days, then quiet for almost a month, but now in March seems to have picked up speed again.) So check it out!

Sample post:

How to Break Out of Your Culinary Comfort ZoneSix ways to bring life back to your table

It happens to the best of us. Despite the stacks of dog-eared cooking magazines piled high on our coffee tables, the eclectic cookbook collections that fill our bookshelves, or even our best intentions of whipping up delicious fare for our families, dinnertime can turn into an uninspiring rotation of the same handful of reliable recipes, week after week, month after month.

As a personal chef, I make my living preparing meals for individuals and families alike, but professional experience aside; I’m still a busy working mom who’s often stymied by the age-old question – “What’s for dinner?”

When I get caught in a dinnertime dead zone, I rely on six sure-fire tips that always help get my creative cooking juices flowing.

1. Cabinet ForagingRemember the electric pasta machine you absolutely had to have? The meat grinder you picked up on a whim? Or the sorbet maker that was so on sale it would’ve been a sin not to buy? If you’re like me, many of these items are lucky to have been used once before assuming their position in the Cabinet of Forgotten Gadgetry, where instead of inspiring your culinary endeavors, they now sit gathering dust. There’s no better way to dig yourself out of a rut and make the most of money already spent than to find the dustiest piece of equipment in your kitchen and put it to use. Odds are the new gear will force you to pull out a new recipe or revisit an old, forgotten favorite.

2. Travel the GlobeNo passports or long airport security lines required! Choose a city or country that you love or that you’re curious about and scour your cookbooks or the internet for a recipe or dish that flavorfully represents that locale. Take a stroll through your grocery store’s international food aisle for further inspiration. You’ll be doing double duty as you savor new ingredients and learn about foods from far way (or close at hand) lands.

3. Buy Something You’ve Never Seen BeforeYour mission, if you choose to accept it, is simple. On your next visit to the produce section, spend a few extra minutes taking in the scene, keeping your eye out for your next great ingredient. You’ll know it when you see it, because you won’t know what it is when you see. Walk right up to that mystery vegetable or other-worldly-looking fruit and pop it right into your reusable shopping bag. Most produce sections have a kiosk or recipe rack featuring info and recipes on how to use various fruits and vegetables. Armed with a free recipe and your mystery produce, your plated adventure can’t be far behind.

4. Face Your Biggest Food FearJust the mere mention of the word soufflé can cause fear in the hearts of many home cooks. For others, it’s roasting a whole chicken, making pie crust from scratch or deep-frying anything. I am deathly terrified at the prospect of making Turducken (a deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned duck that’s stuffed with a deboned chicken. Seriously.) However simple or complex, identify the one thing that makes you afraid to step into the kitchen, find a recipe for it and make it. That’s it. Just make it. You’ll likely conquer your food fear and add a new recipe to your repertoire to boot.

5. Take a Cooking ClassOne quick internet search or browse of the phone book (remember those?) and no matter where you live, you’re likely to find several places where you can learn to chop, braise and sauté from a pro. Taking a recreational cooking class will give you an opportunity to learn a new skill or two and you’ll go home with several new recipes in hand. Besides the recipes, you’ll also have a chance to bounce your cooking questions off a trained professional. Most cooking schools offer a choice of classes that are hands-on, where you’ll actually get to cook; or demonstration, where you get to sit back and watch the instructor in action. Either way, you’ll leave with some level of familiarity with the recipes, making it more likely that you’ll give them a go at home.

6. Become a Locavore for a DayJumpstart your cooking and help save the environment by becoming a locavore for a day. You’ll only be eating foods that are grown or harvested within a 100-mile radius of your hometown, but not to worry, you’ll still have plenty to choose from at your local farmers’ markets and at some higher end grocery stores that make a point of offering locally grown foods. These different, fresher selections may give you a new pool of foods to choose from and fresher food can only breed fresh ideas for how to prepare them.

Keep these tips handy and you’ll be ready to face your next dinner dilemma with ease.

RECENT ARTICLES:--Secrets of a Skinny Chef--How to Break Out of Your Culinary Comfort Zone--Blood Oranges--How to Clean Leeks--How to Make Mayonnaise

BLOG DESCRIPTION: All about travel, tips and things to do with kids in Virginia. From museums to discounts to festivals and events, we have it all!

MY REVIEW: This blog hasn't been updated since Feb 15. On the other hand, it does look as if the author doesn't update this blog very regularly - one or two posts a month seem to be the norm.

When I first started this review blog, I dismissed such offerings out of hand. If someone pays 99 cents a month for a blog, I thought, they deserve to get an entry a day. But I think my sensibilities have improved since then. The way I look at it now, for the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can get updated on blogs that aren't updated regularly, so you don't need to visit the blog fruitlessly every day, you get each entry when its made!

Having said that, when there's a month between posts, it does make you wonder if the blog has gone inactive.

It's too bad if so, this blog had some good info for Virginia tourists and even locals who wanted to do a bit of exploration of their own state.

Sample post

Free Planetarium Shows:The Radford University Planetarium offers FREE shows to the general public on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:30pm and on Saturday mornings at 10:30am. The shows vary by the season, time etc. so be sure to check their website for the shows currently running. The Saturday morning shows are usually specifically for children.

Current shows include:

The newly-acquired show “The Planets” which takes audiences on a tour of our solar system, explaining how our solar system and its planets formed, why things rotate around the sun in the ways they do, and eventually looks at the planets that have been discovered around other stars. This show was produced by the Southeastern Planetarium Association and is narrated by Kate Mulgrew (aka Captain Katherine Janeway of “Star Trek: Voyager”) .

The three shows in the “Explorers” series. These were produced by the Bishop Museum Planetarium in Hawaii and address many of the national and Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) for K-12 students.

The children’s show “In My Backyard”, produced by the Calgary Science Center. This show takes younger audiences (from 3 years old to second graders) on a tour of many of the objects that can be seen in the night sky without a telescope.

“Dinosaur Prophecy”: The audience joins paleontologists at the scene of the crime, excavating bones and wondering what killed the mighty dinosaurs. Be amazed as your favorite giants come to life, roam across the dome, and meet their catastrophic deaths. Find out how NASA scientists monitor the Earth and solar system for potential disasters!

And the always-popular Christmas show ” ‘Tis the Season” chronicles many of the legends and traditions of the Christmas holiday season, including the story of a certain star.

Tina’s take: I brought my son and a couple of his friends here for an evening show. They loved it and can’t wait to go back! Curie Hall, where the Planetarium is located on the Radford campus, is easy to find and free parking is available right behind the building. The young lady leading the show we attended seemed to be very passionate about her work and took extra time to answer all the kid’s questions. Shows last anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes.

RECENT ARTICLES:--Abingdon, Virginia and a Few Steps Back in Time --New Year’s Eve is for Kids! --Why Parents Need a Kindle --Free Planetarium Shows! --What to do with all that Halloween Candy???

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Newest Reading Craze on the internet is now available for your Kindle!

Just Shoot Me! is the #1 place to read about the craziest, zaniest and most absurd people in the world and the things that make them deserve a bullet in the head! It is constantly updated to bring you the latest breaking stories in today's spiraling society.

Give us a try today!

MY REVIEW: If you watch the various Reality TV shows, you see how stupid people really are. (In my own opinion, the people who watch those shows are contributing to the dumbing down and coarsening of society as much as the morons that are being shown on the screen, but that's just me.)

This blog is more of the same. News articles of people doing really, really stupid things - so stupid that you wonder what the IQs of these people are.

If you like reading about what stupid people do in their lives, you'll enjoy this blog. I just think it makes for very sad reading.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: About my Hilarious Hollywood career and appearing on Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and 20 years of being a standup comic and going to places a human being should never go. Like Macedonia, although they have good wine.

MY REVIEW: I recommend this blog with reservations. She writes amusing and well, but she only posts one or two posts a week, for an average of 7 posts a month. Still, at only 99 cents a month subscription, give it a tyr.

Sample post:

The Stupids Get A Headache THEM: My head hurts.

US: You should take aspirin.

THEM:It feels like it's going to explode.

US:Or Aleve.

THEM: My eyeballs hurt.

US:Advil is good too.

THEM: Maybe it's a brain tumor.

US:Probably just a migraine.

THEM:But it could be a brain tumor.

US:Yes, I suppose it could.

THEM:Oh my God you think I have a brain tumor?

US:I'm not a doctor.

THEM: Oh my God I have a brain tumor!

US:If it's that bad you should go to the Emergency Room.

THEM:What if I'm dying?

US:We're all dying.

THEM:But I'm dying faster because of my brain tumor.

US:I thought this was just a headache.

THEM:I didn't want to worry my family and friends.

US:So you've already seen a doctor?

THEM: No.

US:I think you should go to a doctor just to be safe.

THEM: My jeans are so tight they're hurting my legs.

US:Maybe they have a brain tumor

.

RECENT POSTS:--The 2nd Day Of Christmas --The First Day Of Christmas --I'm Tired Of Writing --It's A Dog's Life --The Stupids Get A Headache

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: My progress in writing, revising, sending to my editor, re-revising, fact-checking, galley-reading, and promoting a four-volume history of the world...along with reflections on life as a writer/parent/amateur farmer.

MY REVIEW: You have to admire someone who takes on the world – writing its history up to the Knights Templar. (I assume she thinks we can take it from there!) The author is a professor at William and Mary, a mother, and has a farm outside Williamsburg. Any one of these four occupations is a fulltime job, juggling four is impressive.

She journals about writing her book and the “birthing” process of getting it published. Oh, and did I mention, she also runs a small printing press (publishing business) of her own on the side? And, she does mention sleeping.

One of her children, a son, is spending his gap year in South Africa, so you have a mother’s pride/fear of a child’s travels to add to all else going on. The author is an excellent writer. In one post, she notes that her book is now listed as #1 on the medieval bestseller list on Amazon. I’m impressed, I just got my blog on Amazon and it doesn’t have a rank. She has an interesting feature once a week where she lists her twitter feeds.

A most interesting blog – well done.

Sample paragraphs

I haven’t posted an update on my reading for a while. Actually I haven’t posted anything lengthy for a while. I’ve been submerged in researching, editing, and keeping up with daily life; tax returns had to be done; I have papers to grade; filling out all of the financial aid forms for my rising college freshman killed untold brain cells; my nine-year-old gave herself a concussion and fractured her clavicle; you get the idea.

But I still read books, no matter what else falls off my to-do list.

First up, Michael Ruhlman’s food trilogy: The Making of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, The Reach of a Chef.

Grades: A- for the first, A for the other two.

I’ve always enjoyed food writing, and if you find that genre dead boring, you probably won’t like these books. But what I appreciate about Ruhlman is his sense of drama. He can take the preparation of a poulet saute, the reaction of a food critic to a single pasta dish, a not-too busy lunch service, and turn each one into a fully developed narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. He sketches out characters with a few strokes and makes them real. I envy his skill.

Of the three, The Making of a Chef spends the most time on kitchen minutia and the least on characters and story, so that drops it a bit on my grading scale. (Also the font in the new Holt paperback version is way annoying.) The Reach of a Chef is my favorite of the three; in it, Ruhlman traces the inevitable trajectory that afflicts professionals in every profession. Get good enough at what you do, and eventually you’ll find that you’re not doing it anymore. Instead you’re administering your own career, and there’s hardly any time to devote to the activity that created that career in the first place.

SAMPLE TWITTERS

Going off the grid for a (silent) family day. # Trying to answer interview questions by email. Making my brain hurt. # Inside house: half-sick mom trying to nap. Outside: children w/sticks trying to find object on farm which will make most noise when struck. # Voice half-returned, is gone again. This is getting boring. # Need to change time of departing flight to New York. Change fee: $150. New one-way ticket: $59. How does this make sense? # That's it. NOT watching American Idol after this year. Competition can't sing on pitch, judges apparently listening by satlink from Mars. # YES, I watch American Idol. YOU spend YOUR working hours submerged in classical rhetoric and see what YOU want to do at the end of the day. # Heading off the grid to write. Today's agenda: the Sultanate of Cairo and topics for middle-grade writers. (Different projects, obviously) # Cleaning up DD9's room. How is it POSSIBLE to have this many stuffed animals? Wouldn't it give you the creeps, being so vastly outnumbered? # Just finished Connie Willis's BLACKOUT. Yelling FOUL. Ends mid-story, conclusion in new book not out til fall. BAD DECISION, angry reader. # At the W&M library reading. "A New Approach to English Grammar, on Semantic Principles." FUN. # Clouds + cold + drizzle + church over = nap. #

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Documents treasure hunters - those searching for lost gems, lost people, lost mines, lost aircraft, lost ships, lost cities, and of course, pirate treasure

MY REVIEW: It is no accident that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have been so successful (although I must say the first one was the best, and the other two rather disappointing from my point of view!) - everyone is fascinated by pirates and pirate treasure. Well...probably more by pirate treasure than pirates!

Who doesn't dream of walking on white sands, with an azure sea, and coming across a gold coin or two, washed in from a sunken galleon?

There's plenty of treasure out there - not just gold, silver, and jewelry on board sunken ships, but also cultural treasure, and perhaps most important, knowledge. There are lost ships, lost aircraft, lost people (Judge Crater, for example)...and Volcano Seven documents the search for (and sometimes the finding) of them all.

Sample post:

A couple of years ago, I bought shares in Odyssey Marine, hoping the stock would rise and I would become rich beyond the dreams of avarice. It didn't happen. Actually, I have lost half of my investment! (Not that this was a great tragedy....I only bought 100 shares.)

Now, I'm not really dissing Odyssey Marine. They've got a lot to deal with - they've found a ship in international waters and yet Spain is claiming it, and the treasure it contains to be their's, so there are lawsuits and the lawyers are taking away all the money and leaving none for shareholders.

Still, there story is interesting and here it is.

From their website:Odyssey is the world leader in deep-ocean shipwreck exploration, searching the globe's vast oceans for sunken ships with intriguing stories, extraordinary treasure and precious artifacts spanning centuries of maritime travel. Our important discoveries also uncover priceless new knowledge and history from the depths. As we recover these shipwreck treasures once believed lost forever, we also resurrect lifetimes long forgotten, offering a rare and fascinating window into historic events that would otherwise remain obscure.

Our passion for shipwrecks and the amazing stories they tell is as deep as the oceans we explore.

No one knows shipwrecks better than our world-class team of researchers, scientists, technicians, and archaeologists. We've surveyed and mapped more than 10,000 square miles of seabed and spent more than 9,000 hours diving on shipwreck sites using advanced robotic technology, while more importantly, applying the highest archaeological standards. Our expert team has discovered hundreds of shipwrecks ranging from 3rd century BC Punic sites to U-boats and Colonial warships.

In 2003, we discovered the Civil War-era shipwreck of the SS Republic® and recovered over 51,000 coins and nearly 14,000 artifacts from the 1,700 foot (518 meters) deep site. In May 2007, we announced the recovery of over 500,000 silver and gold coins, weighing 17 tons, from a Colonial-era deep-ocean site code-named "Black Swan." In 2008, Odyssey discovered what is considered one of the most significant shipwrecks in history, HMS Victory, Admiral Sir John Balchin's flagship which perished in 1744. And our expeditions continue to unveil new sites with fascinating stories and cargoes.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Whatever life dishes out, and whatever we can make of it. . .

MY REVIEW: The author of this blog, Big Little Wolf, is "a freelance writer, journalist, marketer, trainer, single parent, art collector, polyglot, traveler, and devotee of exquisite footwear & French lingerie. She believes we are all brimming with glorious contradictions, and capable of living fully, with whatever life dishes out, and whatever we can make of it.

Morning is her clarity and her audacious dreaming, both of which persist, despite encroaching middle age and dirty socks – everywhere."

LBW, if I may so call her, is an excellent writer, articulate and entertaining. She covers her topics in detail, with an insight that can give her readers - both men and women - food for thought.

Sample paragraphs from a sample post

Tweaking the recipeI love recipes that I can tweak. A little of this, a little of that. I like what evolves, what surprises me, what turns out differently just a little, each time. Perhaps this is in part because I’m never quite the same from one day to the next. Are any of us, really?

I like to tweak my life, my writing, my look. I love to learn. And I enjoy my element of chameleon; it has served me well. And haven’t we all invented or reinvented ourselves at one time or another?

In adolescence, we may call this emerging from the cocoon. As we mature, we shed old skins, trying on new careers and personal lives. We undertake change in ourselves as we gain experience. We adjust following events that insist upon change, whether we want it or not.

Pygmalion, Narcissism, and EvolutionWe are adaptable. Some of us more than others, but all of us, more than we realize. Reinvention may be physical, emotional, behavioral, or any of these. It may come suddenly, or gradually, as we ease into our own patchworked pieces of past, present circumstances, and desire.

But what of the man who would reinvent his woman? What of the woman who restyles her man? Is this narcissism, pure and simple? Is there a fine line between “improving the current model” and interfering – or worse – controlling, to the point of damaging another? Does it make a difference if it is with consent, as opposed to subtly achieved, through undermining words and behaviors?

RECENT ARTICLES:--Terms of endearment (Let me call you sweetheart?)--Can we ever “set the record straight?”--The other side of town--Frankenstein, or Bride of Frankenstein?--If I close my eyes so I may dream. . .

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A no holds barred account of parenting, this blog is not for the faint hearted. With posts about recycling vibrators, having crushes on other mums and that infamous account of needing a wee on the motorway, this blog is for all those women who are more than just mothers.

Emily Carlisle lives with her husband and three small children in the Cotswolds. She is a freelance writer and has just finished her first novel.

MY REVIEW: This is a fun blog, both for parents and for people who don't have kids but like to read reviews of various computer items (such as the Hexbug). The author is based in England (for about a year I believe blogs available for subscription on Amazon were strictly from the US, but for the last few months, British blogs have been available, and people from the UK can subscribe to all blogs, as of course can people from the US.)

The author writes well (indeed, she is a professional writer, having just finished a book) and is amusing. So check it out.

Sample post

Why doing reviews could be bad for your bank balance

Next year I'm going to be cutting down on the number of reviews I do on the blog. This is in part because the last product I reviewed, the Hexbug Nano, cost me £160. With an individual Hexbug retailing at just £8.99, that can't be good business sense.

The Hexbug Nano is a battery powered micro-robot which scuttles about your floor like a cockroach on acid. When it meets a barrier - or another Hexbug - it changes path and hurries off in another direction. When it's flipped on its back the Hexbug will simply right itself and carry on regardless. It's unstoppable. These collectible fellows work by the power of vibration, so they make an intense buzzing noise as they scurry about your house. Geeks will love them - there's all sorts of collectible stuff you can do online to find and register particularly rare Hexbugs. They are perfect stocking fillers and great gifts for guys.

When they arrived I turned each Hexbug on and scattered them on the floor. The children squealed delightedly and chased after them; I couldn't help but lift my feet up onto my chair - they're just a little bit too realistic for me... The kids built Lego mazes for them, they tried them out on the kitchen table, the bathroom floor, the hearth - which is where it all started to go wrong.

Quick as a flash my son's Hexbug scuttled into the fire place and through a tiny gap in the gas fire. Immediately the entire grate began to rattle as this malevolent toy vibrated its way through the hollow frame, the noise growing steadily until it sounded as though a thousand centipedes were tap-dancing on a tin roof. My husband looked at me in horror as I grabbed the Hoover and tried to suck it out, to no avail. He bent a wire coat hanger and fed it into the gap where we'd last seen the Hexbug, but it was useless.

Two hours later, having taken the fireplace apart and still not located the Hexbug, we admitted defeat and grabbed the yellow pages. The engineer was far from reassuring.

"If it's gone up the gas pipe you've got real problems - we could have to evacuate the street."

He came out to us straight away. Well, so would I if I charged £160 for my mere presence. The Hexbug was lodged in the entrance to one of the pipes and was retrieved with a pair of pliers.

And that is why doing reviews could be bad for your bank balance.

I've got five Hexbug Nanos to give away to readers of More Than Just a Mother, so just leave a comment below to enter. If you want to double your chances of winning, just tweet "I've entered the #HEXBUGUK giveaway with @MTJAM". Oh - and keep them away from the fireplace.

RECENT POSTS:--Having a Mummy Crush--Frost--The End--I smell dead people--On the twelfth day of Christmas my children sent to me...

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NEW Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.Retro Reviews published Tuesday and Thursday.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The Nutmeg Lawyer is a humorous blog that discusses the daily trials and tribulations of being a lawyer. Its great for marketing tips, legal advice and has funny stories about what its like to practice law. the American Bar Association selected it as one of the top 100 legal blogs in the nation on their ABA Journal Top 100

MY REVIEW: If you are an attorney or wish to become one, or if you wish to get an insight into the inner workings of a law office and the mind of an attorney, may I suggsst The Nutmeg Lawyer?

The posts are fascinating, and it's a look into a world that most people don't know exists, having been weaned only on the Law and Order franchies and Perry Mason. The lawyers here (in addition to Adrian Baron, there are various guest-bloggers from a variety of lawyerly disciplines) write on their subjects with great insight, and its interesting to get this bird's eye view of the profession.

Sample posts - from a guest blogger

Some things I’ve learned in 23 years as a divorce lawyer

Nobody Said Law School was Easy Billy (caption to a video, not shared here)Editors Intro: As I write this post, I am glancing out my frost covered window as my car warms up courtesy of my automatic car starter. (By automatic car starter I mean a first year law student intern from one of our prestigious local law schools. Good work Billy). Shivering from the cold, my thoughts take me to Attorney Diana Mercer. If you practice family law in Connecticut, you may remember Attorney Mercer from her days as a mediator in Milford and surrounding courts. If you are wondering whatever happened to Diana, let me update you. She was smart. She left the cold of New England for sun filled California.

Diana was kind enough to take a break from surfing, lunches with movie stars, mining for gold and whatever other things I assume all Californians do on a daily basis. We prodded her to do a guest post for our blog, and thankfully she complied. Our sincere thanks. Some things I’ve learned in 23 years as a divorce lawyer: Guest Post by Attorney Diana MercerYou pick up a few tidbits of wisdom that they don’t teach in law school when you are a divorce lawyer. These scenarios happened back when I was practicing as a divorce litigator. Sometimes people ask me why I became a full time mediator 12 years ago.

Here’s why:One of the first things you learn as divorce lawyer is that not everyone is very good at picking a spouse. It stands to reason that a successful marriage probably depends on picking a good mate. I had a client once who married a man who had been acquitted of murdering his wife with a poison spear made by attaching an Indian arrowhead to a broom handle with twine and covering it with curare. “But he was acquitted!” she protested. Never mind that he made her teenage son call him “Mr. Daniel Loomis” even after they were married, and he beat her within an inch of her life. The lesson learned: homemade poison darts do not make for a happy marriage.

Once you’re in the middle of your divorce, it’s important that you cooperate with your lawyer. Everyone’s done things they’re not proud of, and it makes sense to share most of those with your lawyer, before you’re confronted with them in open court. When I first started practicing, I had a contested custody case. To me, my client looked like Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she seemed pretty convincing. Imagine my dismay when, on cross examination, the husband’s attorney starts shaking a videotape in her direction, shouting, “and isn’t it true that this video tape, made for commercial distribution, depicts you having sexual intercourse with a chainsaw?” My jaw dropped, my face turned ashen, and the room started to spin. The judge, knowing I was just a Baby Lawyer and sensing I didn’t deserve to be pummeled publicly over this, dropped his gavel onto the bench with a bang, calling “recess! I’ll see counsel in chambers!” We settled that case. Lesson to be learned: If you used to be a porn star, it’s unlikely your ex will forget that little fact, so tell your lawyer about it before cross examination starts.

Sometimes, no matter how far it appears a marriage has broken down, there’s still hope for reconciliation. I was sitting in court one day, waiting for my case to be called, and listened to a man give testimony in support of his motion to vacate his divorce judgment on the grounds that he didn’t know that he was getting divorced. He testified that while his wife had filed divorce papers on him many times in the past, that they’d always reconciled. He’d received a copy of the most recent papers, but they’d continued to live together, eat dinner together, put their money in a joint bank account, and they even slept together.

I started to nod off, as all this testimony was taking awhile, but my head snapped to attention on cross examination when the wife’s lawyer, barely able to contain his indignation, blurted out, “yes, but while you were all lovey-dovey making hamburgers on the barbeque and watching TV holding hands, isn’t it true that your wife SHOT you? Didn’t you realize then that your marriage was OVER?” Sheepish, the man replied, “well, she’s got a hot temper all right, but I got better and a week later we went to Disney World and had a great time!” The lesson learned: it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

And people wonder why I was drinking Maalox directly from the bottle. So now I’m a mediator, and a writer with a new blogging addiction I probably won’t shake anytime soon. If you do read my book(s), Making Divorce Work: 8 Essential Keys to Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Your Life (Penguin/Perigee 2010) http://www.makingdivorcework.com/ and/or Your Divorce Advisor, I’d appreciate a 5 star review on Amazon.com. I’d love to be your friend on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/peacetalks and to hear from you at the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diana-mercer as well as on my new video blog Making Divorce Work http://makingdivorceworkblog.com./ I’ve issued a challenge to myself to mediate my own tenuous relationship with my father. Check out Project Vic on the blog. I blogged from Cabo in my bathing suit on Thanksgiving---that’s how real I’m being, LOL. Walking my talk is important.

Author Background:Attorney Diana Mercer is the founder of Peace Talks and the co-author of Your Divorce Advisor: A Lawyer and A Psychologist Guide You Through the Legal and Emotional Landscape of Divorce (Fireside, 2001) After 12 years of practicing as a top divorce litigator, she now devotes her practice solely to mediation. She has conducted over 4000 mediations, and has received over 450 hours of specialized, professional Family Law Mediation training.

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_______________NEW reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.Retro reviews published on Tuesday and Thursday

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Your guide to the best free and inexpensive classic literature for the Kindle. Because some conversions are sloppily done, a free download can be a waste of time. These are books that are out of copyright, but never out of style! Many are from before 1923, but some were published between 1923 and 1963.

MY REVIEW: A lot of these "free books on Kindle" blogs just give the name of the book. This blog gives a bit of a review of the book itself, and since classic literature is getting lost in the shuffle with the outpouring of books today, I recommend this blog to learn about the real classics!

Sample post

Mark Twain has a Bestseller Again! I wrote about Huckleberry Finn in my first blog, so I promise this is not going to be the Mark Twain blog. But I am fascinated that Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain is on the bestseller list. His complete autobiography had a literary embargo so that it could not be published until one hundred years after his death. He is now dishing the dirt from beyond the grave.

But if you want the expurgated version which was published and popular in his lifetime, you can get it for semi-free.

It is not the book titled Mark Twain's Burlesque Autobiography which is free for the Kindle, but which you may not want to read. Twain hated the book so much, he bought up the plates and destroyed them. He anticipated much, but apparently not scanners.

You are looking for "Chapters from My Autobiography" by Samuel Clemens and it is 95 cents. But I think this is one of those times where you will want to pay full price. Samuel Clemens was a very frank writer and wrote very bleakly about life and death in a way not designed to endear him to Tom Sawyer's many fans. If he thought something was too incendiary to publish for a hundred years - well maybe that is what you want to read. In which case you want the new bestseller "Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Volume 1" It is 700 plus pages, making it a good choice to downsize on to Kindle or maybe the size will make you reach for the shorter 95 cent version listed above. Either way, how wonderful to have his wider works read once again.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: 41 year old husband, father, friend to some, in the midst of unfortunate misunderstandings with others. In 2007 I started a journey to regain my fitness. In 2009 I started participating in triathlons. I have not looked back, not even once. The Road is my daily story and is just as much a part of my training and preparedness as a long bike ride or an interval workout.

MY REVIEW: This blog focuses not only on triathletes and their sports, but also in how to get fit, and parenting. Highly recommended!

Sample post

Man, what a weekend. I had a great ride on Saturday and a great run today. And the frosting on the cake is that Oregon is in the BCS National Championship.

Saturday morning I headed out with OC Velo on a 60 mile ride from Huntington Beach, down to Lake Forest and back through Shady Canyon in Irvine and Newport Coast in Newport Beach. It was an epic ride, being that it was slightly warmer than last weekend and there was more climbing than usual. The coastal range around here isn't too high, but if you cross over it a few times you can get some good climbing in - we did about 2300 feet. I don't live for climbing, but I'm starting to enjoy it more than I used to. Plus after every uphill there is a downhill, so there is always some sort of payoff in the end.

I had to take Ian to a birthday party Saturday afternoon so I texted all my Oregon Ducks loving friends and told them I was in a sports news lockdown until I had a chance to watch the game on the DVR. I didn't get to it until about 9 last night, but I was still (thankfully) in the dark about it. The game was a pretty good, actually great at times, and the end result was that Oregon won. For that I am happy.

This morning I went for a 7.6 mile run in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. I've fallen into this pattern on Sundays where I'll rotate a 7-8 mile trail run one week with a 10 + road run on the other. Unlike two weeks ago, when I ran this route for Black Knight's Virtual 10K, the winds where calm and the trails where dry. I even stumbled upon a quarter mile spur path I had never found before, so I checked that out as well. No snakes, plenty of rabbits. Just the way I like it.

I then took Ian to an arcade called "Nickel Nickel" for a few hours so Mary could Christmas Shop. This place is a total dump filled with games that are all at least 10 years old. But everything is five cents and we made $7 last an hour and a half. It's also conveniently located next to Surf City Cyclery. I've been meaning to buy a new saddle wedge bag since the one I have is terrible, so I picked up a Fi'zi:k bag that has a special clip system that integrates with their saddles. Way better than straps.

Finally, I don't want to become known as the boy who cried wolf, but there are some things cooking with Endurance Athlete Project that might be cool and that I might be able to talk about later in the week or early next. This means I might be a little scarce on the blog posting side for the week, but I'm going to do my best on the blog reading side.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The web's only online birding magazine with grit, humor and attitude. Articles and photos about birds, wildlife, and life in general. Short fiction, essays, bird detective tales, book recommendations and more. An international hit. One reader writes: Not your mamas bird blog!

MY REVIEW: I have often regretted that I never spent any time as a kid learning the names of birds, and the sounds of their calls. Oh - I know the easy ones, of course, the robin, the cardinal, blue jay (their names, not their calls!) but no more than that. Now that I ride my bike everywhere, I - very occasionally - see a new bird, which I can never identify.

So I found the two-fisted birdwatcher quite enjoyable. Fun stories, well-written, with a sense of humor. Written by a guy trying to break the stereotype of birdwatchers as nerdy men and myopic ladies. (And it is a stereotype, by the way!)

There are a few photos. Not as many as I would have expected, but a few. They are of good quality, so even though they are in greyscale andyou can't appreciate the colors, you still get much of the impact of the pictures.

Sample post

The Chicago Sun Times reported yesterday that cougars are moving into the Chicago area. This could make bird watching a bit more exciting. It could make the places that we’ve been calling wilderness into something better: Real wilderness.

Modern day mountain man and author Doug Peacock is said to have said, “It ain’t wilderness unless there’s something in it that can eat you.”

Well, if we get cougars, our wilderness gets more interesting. And I know the feeling. I hiked mountain trails in Colorado and saw warning signs about mountain lions. The signs were confusing. They said contradictory things like, “don’t threaten,” and at the same time, “wave your arms and look big.”

No matter. I was glad the signs were there. I was glad the mountain lions were there. It made the hike exciting. There was a little buzz at the back of my neck. I felt I was being watched. I felt I was in the wild.

And I saw a Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray Jays, Black-billed Magpies, a Golden Eagle far above it all; a Western Tanager that posed for a pretty good picture, Mountain Bluebirds. And others. The birding was good. And there was that buzz throughout. Two-fisted bird watching.

So if cougars are spreading into our area, I say, okay. And I’m not surprised. A year or so ago, there was a big male cougar sighted by awe-struck citizens as he worked his way toward us from Wisconsin, then through Chicago’s north suburbs, and finally to the north side near Cubs Park in a busy neighborhood where cops gunned him down. You can see this on You Tube.

My theory is that the lion was heading to Lincoln Park Zoo, which isn’t far from where he was shot. This in-city zoo has open-air lion cages, and maybe the scent carried. Only a lion would know for sure.

So if cougars are coming in significant numbers to our area, well, let ‘em come. We’ve got enough deer to go around. And it’ll make bird watching in the forests and fields around here have a bit more of a buzz to it.

Just remember, wave your arms. No, that wasn’t it, look small. No that wasn’t it, look big. Ah, forget it. You’ll probably never see a cougar. But don’t let that stop you from looking for a Pileated Woodpecker, Bald Eagle or Summer Tanager. You really could see one of those.

BLOG DESCRIPTION: This blog will share profiles of women scientists in a variety of disciplines, from electrical engineering to mechanical engineering, from marine biologists to astronauts. We will also share lessons on the various sciences.

MY REVIEW: As the name implies, this blog is designed to encourage girls and teens to become involved in the sciences. This includes any science, from biologist to zoologist. If there's a flaw in the blog, it is that some of the entries are quite obviously geared toward young kids, and others are geared towards their parents. It would be better if the blog were devoted to one or the other, I think.

Having said that, there's plenty of interesting information here. For a girl interestd in "science" who doesnt' quite know what specialty she wants, this blog will introduce her to the entire gamut, and give her ideas which will serve as a springboard to her future career.

Sample Post:

Encyclopedia Brown as an Introduction to Scientific Method When I was a young kid - over 30 years ago! - I read all the Encyclopedia Brown books (by Donald J. Sobol), and I always tried to solve the mysteries before Encyclopedia Brown did.

What I didn't realize at the time was that these books were giving me an introduction to the scientific method - always listen closely, pay attention to ever little detail, and make deductions based on facts, not on guess work.

Ever since then, I've always been very punctilious (precise, demanding; careful, conscientious) when it comes to believing what people tell me - whether it is friends, acquaintances, strangers, or what I read in the newspapers.

Take the case of Global Warming, for example. For decades the public - around the world- have been told that man-made Global Warming (as opposed to natural global warming) will cause oceans to rise, polar bears to die, and so on. Within the last year, however, evidence has come to light which shows that the global warming data had been falsified, mis-represented, and even suppressed, in order to bring us where we are today - with companies having to spend millions of dollars to "green" themselves.

With what result? The new "spaghetti" light bulbs that are supposed to last longer than our current lightbulbs have dangerous chemicals in them, and have to be disposed of in a hazardous landfill! Electric bikes are propelled by batteries made out of lead, and since batteries only hold a charge for so long, dead batteries have to be thrown away... in hazard landfills because they too have dangerous chemicals in them!

The job as a scientist is to evaluate all the evidence, and come to a conclusion. A real conclusion, not one that fits a theory that you have formed in advance. As time goes on, you will find more evidence. If it fits your theory - it strengthens your theory. If it doesn't fit your theory, it must not be discarded, but rather put in a place of prominence until it can be explained.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

BLOG DESCRIPTION: ABOUT ME - My name is Amy and I'm a newer birder living in the Chicago area with my husband, Arthur. Besides birding I love to travel. I was fortunate enough to live in Arthur's native Holland for nearly 10 years. We spent a lot of that time traveling around Europe and beyond - birding, scuba diving and having a great time generally exploring our world. On this blog I'll write about my own birding & backyard birding experiences, interesting bird news, and a bit about the birding-themed gifts for sale in our shop here and at Birdorable.

MY REVIEW: This is another enjoyable birding blog. Well, most birding/bird watching blogs are. There are a lot of photos, and that's the only drawback, they are in greyscale, so you don't get the full impact you would at the actual site. Nevertheless, for a quick daily fix of birdwatching, this one, along with Two-fisted Birdwatcher, fit the bill.

Here's a sample post:

As spring migration starts picking up, so do the spring bird club field trips. Lake-Cook Audubon kicked off their 2010 field trip season with today’s Loons of Lake County lead by Fred and Cheri Thompson. We had 33 total species for the day, with nine FOY (First Of Year) birds, including Common Loon and Double-crested Cormorant. We also had our FOS (First of Season) big group of birders.